Keep 'Em Guessing facts for kids

"Keep 'Em Guessing" is a song that was planned for the 1998 animated movie Mulan. It was meant to be sung by Mushu, the dragon character. The famous actor Eddie Murphy was going to perform it. Matthew Wilder and David Zippel wrote the song. Even though it wasn't in the movie, it was later used in the stage musical Mulan Jr..

About the Song

This song was created for the Disney movie Mulan. It was supposed to be a big moment for Mushu. Mushu is Mulan's dragon guardian. The song would have shown how he helps Mulan.

How it was Made

Mushu was a very important character in Mulan. Because of this, many songs were written for him. "Keep 'Em Guessing" was one of them. It even reached the recording stage. Billy Porter sang a demo version of the song.

The song was about Mushu giving Mulan advice. He tells her how to keep her true identity a secret. Mulan pretends to be a male soldier in the movie. The lyrics included tips like, "put on an act that’s so convincing, they’ll think you’re a dude."

Why it Changed

The songwriters, David Zippel and Matthew Wilder, said Disney really liked the song. They thought Billy Porter's demo was "phenomenal." However, Eddie Murphy, who voiced Mushu, reportedly didn't want to sing.

The songwriters suggested he try a "talk-sing" style. This is like how he performed as James Brown on Saturday Night Live. But Murphy still said no. Zippel later explained, "We wrote three different versions of it." He realized Murphy "just didn't want to sing in the film."

The song was meant to be Mushu's introduction to Mulan. But it was eventually cut from the movie. Instead, they used spoken words to introduce Mushu. The filmmakers decided Mushu could show his personality with just a few lines. "Keep 'Em Guessing" became one of several songs for Mushu that were not used.

Where is it Now?

Even though it wasn't in the movie, the song found a new home. It was brought back for the stage musical version, Mulan Jr..